1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to an apparatus for separating and sequencing documents for use with document handling machines and the like.
The instant invention provides an apparatus comprising two spaced document handling apparatus configured to be positioned along a document line of travel. Each document handling apparatus may be separately controlled such that overlapping documents traveling into the instant separator and sequencing apparatus may be separated when so required by advancing a first document with respect to a second document. Furthermore, the present separator and sequencing apparatus may serve as a buffer by temporarily detaining documents to allow, for example, separation of documents into predetermined account groups.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior systems employed for printing and gathering documents have comprised a printer for printing a pair of documents side by side and a cutter to separate the pair of documents from the roll of paper at the printer and one from the other. Such prior systems further comprised an inverter to align the documents into a single path orientation rather than the side by side orientation dictated by the printer. The documents could be forwarded to an assembly for gathering a stack of documents.
Prior systems have recognized that it may be desirable to advance each document of the pair of documents separately to the assembly for gathering a stack of documents. Separate advancement has traditionally been accomplished in two manners. In the first manner, the advancement of one document of each pair of documents printed by the printer is retarded at the cutter while the advancement of the other document is allowed to advance freely. In the second manner, the inverter either retards the advancement of, or creates a longer path of travel for, one of the documents with respect to the other document. In either manner, the pair of documents exit the inverter without either document contacting the other.
It is worthy to note that prior manners of separating a pair of documents necessarily separate each and every pair of documents printed by the printer and advanced to the assembly for gathering documents. When a system for printing and gathering documents is employed to produce a plurality of different groups of documents called accounts, only pairs of documents which comprise a document from two different accounts need to be separated before being advanced to the assembly for gathering documents. Every other pair of documents printed by the printer may be advanced to the assembly for gathering documents without separating each of the documents in the pair of documents. Consequently, prior systems employed for printing and gathering groups of documents by accounts slow the process of printing and gathering documents by requiring unnecessary separation some documents. The larger the number of pages being processed in each account, the larger the number of pairs of documents in each account which need not be separated and the larger the resultant delay caused by the separation of each pair of documents.
Additionally, the prior manners of separating a pair of documents retarded one of the documents of the pair of documents a predetermined amount. The prior manners did not possess a manner of varying the retardation. Consequently, the assembly for gathering documents used in the prior manners of printing and gathering documents could not be given extra time to unload an account. Extra time may be necessary, for example, due to size of the account.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for separating documents which may selectively separate pairs of documents.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for separating documents which is efficient.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for separating documents which may provide a buffer to the assembly for gathering documents.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an efficient apparatus for sorting documents by account.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an efficient apparatus for sorting documents which apparatus may be integrated into prior assemblies for printing and sorting documents.